Cultural Heritage

The weight of record-setting giant pumpkins has ballooned nearly 500 percent since 1975.

Why Is America Losing Ground in the Contest to Grow the World's Biggest Pumpkin?

Our most symbolic squash is now taking over the world

Parlor scene of G. Burk, Warwick, New York

When the Idea of Home Was Key to American Identity

From log cabins to Gilded Age mansions, how you lived determined where you belonged

Construction of the royal pyre in Sanam Luang for King Bhumibol Adulyadej's cremation continues in preparation for the funeral in late 2017.

An Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Funeral Fit for a King

For the first time in more than 70 years, Thailand is saying farewell to its monarch

Members of Chamorro organizations, including the children from the Hurao Cultural Camp, perform a burial ceremony.

A Brief, 500-Year History of Guam

The Chamorro people of this Pacific island have long been buffeted by the crosswinds of foreign nations

Michael Twitty, a culinary historian and living-history interpreter at the Stagville Plantation in Durham, North Carolina.

Food Historian Reckons With the Black Roots of Southern Food

In his new book, Michael Twitty shares the contributions that enslaved African-Americans and their descendants have made to southern cuisine

Taking a stroll to the Pump Room–the fashionable place to be seen in Bath during Austen's time.

Five Things to Know About Bath, Jane Austen’s Home and Inspiration

Two hundred years after her death, Bath hasn't forgotten about Jane Austen

Completed in 1939, the Fiat Tagliero service station is one of the city's many Art Deco structures.

Asmara, the Capital of Eritrea, Named World Heritage Site

Eritrean officials lobbied for the designation in a bid to reform their country’s isolationist image

Eight billion cans sold, and counting.

How Spam Went from Canned Necessity to American Icon

Out-of-the-can branding helped transform World War II's rations into a beloved household staple

This bleached reef near Guam shows what happens when ocean temperatures rise.

Unesco-Protected Reefs Could Be Destroyed by 2100

Over 70 percent of world heritage reefs were damaged during the recent bleaching event

The ruins of the al-Nuri mosque

Mosul’s Great Mosque of al-Nuri Destroyed by ISIS Militants

The 12th-century mosque’s leaning minaret was one of Mosul’s most recognizable landmarks

French American Music and Dance, 1983

After 50 Years of Song, Dance, Food, Even Hog Calling, at the Folklife Festival, Is It Still Worthwhile?

Recognizing traditional culture in the information age is ever more important argues the director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Damian Le Bas' "Globe IV" (2016) on display at the launch event for the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture.

First-Ever Roma Cultural Institution Opens in Europe

It’s a step toward cultural inclusion for Europe’s largest minority group

New Online Database Catalogues 20,000 Threatened Archaeological Sites

The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Database includes an interactive map and a detailed search function

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10 Must-Do Experiences in Australia’s Northern Territory

From massive crocodiles, to waterfalls and ancient Aboriginal art, the Top End offers something for every traveler

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Discover Australia's Top End: A Five-Day Itinerary

From massive crocodiles, to waterfalls and ancient Aboriginal art, the Top End offers something for every traveler

Prayer wheels are just one of the sounds preserved and remixed in a new project.

Listen to the Sounds of Sacred Spaces Around the World

A new project documents, then remixes, religious and spiritual sounds

Asli Saghatelyan stands next to her father-in-law’s 240-gallon karas, a clay vessel traditionally used in Armenia, until recently, for storing and fermenting homemade wine.

Unearthing Armenia’s Giant, Ancient Earthenware

These 240-gallon clay karases, crucial to the early development of winemaking, once held enormous value

A bicyclist rides by the destroyed old mosque and tomb of Nabi Jerjis, also known as Saint George, in central Mosul in July 2014.

Why We Need to Fight to Save Mosul’s Cultural Heritage

As the battle to save Iraq from ISIS continues, Smithsonian experts are helping local people preserve their history

A street food market in San Andrés Cholula, in Mexico's Puebla state

What to Really Eat on Cinco de Mayo

Put down the margaritas and tacos, and pick up a chalupa

Muhammad Ali used this headgear before winning Olympic gold in 1960.

The Collections of the African American History and Culture Museum Await Their New Home

Objects from Muhammad Ali's headgear to Nat Turner's Bible sit in a holding facility in Maryland, ready to be put on display

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